Fear often gets the better of us, and our imaginations begin to run wild. But what if there’s more evidence than just your thoughts that seems to point to something supernatural happening?

In 2:22 – A Ghost Story, that is precisely the conundrum at hand, as a young couple who have just moved into their dream home begin to experience strange occurrences at precisely 2:22am every night. Inviting their friends over to get to the bottom of things once and for all, this West End smash hit promises a truly spine-chilling theatrical experience for all.

But does horror have the potential to go beyond just thrills and jumpscares? Director Daniel Jenkins seems to think so, alongside his cast members Dominique De Marco, Shane Mardjuki, Sharda Harrison and Andy Tear, as they prepare for Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) production, starting this August. We spoke to the cast about their thoughts and experiences about the supernatural, the power of belief, and the things left behind in death.

“In the preparation for this play, we talked a lot about what we think and believe,” says Daniel. “I’m a huge skeptic when it comes to the supernatural, but I do believe in how we can see energy left behind in certain places that continue to have an effect while hanging in the air. There are valid arguments to be made on both sides as to which one is valid, and that’s why the debate continues even today. And the great thing about this play is that even though it’s been around for a while, plenty of people still attend it, and remain unsure what exactly they’re in for.”

Horror in theatre can potentially go swimmingly well and have a lasting impact on the audience, with successes such as The Woman In Black. But if done wrong, horror could well dip into the campy and unintentionally hilarious instead. “I read the play before seeing it, and actually didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought. I would, where it leaned into a lot of gimmicks,” says Daniel. “That’s why we wanted to stay away from that style as much as possible, and make it as real as possible, in that we have audience members focus on the characters and the emotional journey they go on instead of relying on the jump scares. These are real people normal people going through something unbelievable and we’re trying to figure out how to bring that to the stage.”

“The script isn’t that complicated and quite naturalistic, so it flows well and is quite clear what is going on. So my job is to ensure the relationships are clear by setting intentions, and figure out why the characters are as such or working the way they are,” he adds. “It’s also important for us to know where the ups and downs are in the script, because there’s a good balance between the two. A lot of the audience members come in expecting something very scary, but it actually has quite a few light moments to – that’s when their guard goes down and when they become more susceptible to the scares.”

Theatre is notorious for its belief in the supernatural, and the cast is no stranger to their own sightings or rituals to ensure a good show. They share their thoughts on the supernatural and how they felt after reading the script for the first time. “I really enjoyed how there was this intellectual argument over whether spirits exist, which is something I’ve discussed all my life with my dad and mum,” says Sharda, who plays therapist Lauren. “We don’t quite have any specific rituals with this production yet, but we did a lot of research on ghost stories in the lead-up to rehearsals. My character is more interested in the human relationships, and I think there’s a lot of logic in the way she does it, which actually straddles a similar path to my thoughts in real life.”

“For myself, I actually used to live in a house with over 40 sightings, and if I’m not wrong, they might have filmed a tv show about it in early 2000s. My dad says he doesn’t believe in god, but he believes in ghosts since he’s seen them,” she adds. “When you do experience some kind of sighting or shift in energy, you don’t just doubt it or believe it, but go through an entire logical process to figure out what you want to settle on.”

“There’s this huge mystery behind what these presences are or where they come from, and a lot of it stems from fear, which I think we need to approach from as non-biased a position as possible, at least in the play,” says Dominique, who plays Jenny. “My character in particular goes through a journey over the course of the play, and understands what it’s like to have everything taken away in a single moment, and it can shake your faith entirely and cause you to start believing.”

“I’ve heard a lot of stories, but never experienced it personally myself, though there are times I’ve gotten a false alarm and thought I saw something move up in the rafters,” says Shane, who plays Jenny’s husband Sam. “I did actually have nightmares after reading the script, but it’s atypical, more mystery-driven horror that builds up from growing suspense and the dialogue. The thing is, it puts audience members in this hyperrealistic situation the audience can identify with, it gets them to come on board and choose a side, and really makes you question what you would choose if you’re in these character’s shoes, which gets you invested in the show.”

“When I read the script, I kept thinking I’d know where it goes, but ended up second-guessing myself constantly. The one thing you can never deny is the build-up of fear,” says Andy, who plays Ben, Lauren’s boyfriend. “There’s always a part of your mind that wants to believe, and part of the journey is about finding that source of belief, and get the audience to see where he’s coming from.”

Going into theatre is a commitment, where a rehearsal can feel like minutes or hours depending on how much one enjoys the process, while also factoring how tired they are from their own outside activities. “I do get this giant sense of guilt sometimes that I should have spent more time with my daughter, but at the same time, doing this makes you appreciate having your loved ones more, and you really make every moment count, or at least make a conscious effort to cherish them more and be in the moment,” says Daniel.

“Daniel is right about being in the moment. Sometimes I realise I forget what I was doing a few months ago, and I start to wonder what I’m doing with my time on Earth. I remember the emotions, the laughter, and as I get busier, I try to take more pauses and look up from my phone, trying to take in my surroundings rather than passing through so I don’t lose as much time,” says Sharda.

“What’s also important is that I’ve been very blessed to be working with great groups of people and the scripts I’ve gotten align well with me. I’m glad to be back with SRT after my last project with them (Julius Caesar in 2018), and my cast and the crew are such high energy people who I get energy from, even when I’m tired from a whole day of filming, and it makes me go ‘hey, I can and want to do this!'” she adds.

“I relate a lot to losing track of time – I forget what day of the week it is sometimes!” says Dominique. “The play seems to cast a spell on people, and really makes you focus on the here and the now when you’re considering what comes next or when you’re looking for clues. I’ve never acted in anything quite like this before, and I do hope that I get to return to Singapore more permanently, after spending so long in Sydney, where it feels more like coming home to family here.”

As for Andy, who is currently a drama teacher at an international school in Singapore, he acknowledges and sees the difficulty of perpetuating theatre in a world that still prioritises the sciences over the arts, as he sees in his own students. “Yes, there’s a fear of lost opportunities and livelihood, and more pressure now to go into STEM now, parents seem almost fearful of the arts at times. But recently we’ve started this new course which is more hands-on and practical, with a strong link to professional development,” he says. “There’s also an increasing number of students doing theatre at school, with some of them going on to pursue film and arts courses overseas. It’s important to know that theatre and the arts go far beyond just acting as a discipline, but also involve so many other roles, from design to tech, that you can have a stable career in besides becoming a star.”

As for their own brushes with death and mourning, the cast shares some varied experiences and affecting moments from their own lives with us. “Until you’ve experienced grief, you have no idea how it changes your life and perception of life completely,” says Dominique. ” I have a best friend in Sydney whose father just passed away, and recently, she was driving and felt like she saw her father holding her hand in the car. Grief makes us understand ourselves and our relationships with people, and only by going through the cycle do you eventually get some kind of closure.”

“The word ‘ghost’ often makes us think of the stereotypical white sheets, but I think we should instead think about how memories and experiences haunt us,” says Andy. “I recall losing a friend in his mid-20s, and a group of us still end up commemorating him every year, raising glass of red wine in his memory, and really, that’s what a ghost is without calling it one right? This idea of remembering someone and feeling their presence.”

“In the foreword of the play, playwright Danny Robins talks about how the Japanese treat spirits, and perhaps the ghosts are not outside of us, but are how we are living ghosts, and how we continue living in the past,” says Sharda. “I remember watching my grandma die, and when she passed, I think I went mad for a bit, where I just had to locate her soul, and figure out the logical reasoning behind it, thinking that she had to still be there somehow. There’s this almost existentialist way of seeing it, and it’s painful because of all these lingering questions, such as wondering where do we go, could we still be somewhere living in a parallel world after we die, and how you fill that gap left behind if you just don’t see each other again.”

“I’d give anything to see my late mum again, and I fully understand this idea of visitations from people in your past where you feel their presence lingering in spaces,” Daniel concludes. “That’s really what all this belief in ghosts and the afterlife is about – to think someone was so present and there is suddenly gone, and you’re in total disbelief. You want to hang on to them and believe that they’re still watching over you, and that’s one way of coping, this determination not to fully let go. I hope audience members come in ready to question their opinions or to defend them. This is a work that has depth that goes beyond just shock and horror, but also delves into the idea of what faith and belief means to people, how relationships work, and the past we leave behind.”

2:22 – A Ghost Story plays from 15th August 2023 at the KC Arts Centre. Tickets available here

This article was written by BakchorMeeBoy. You can view the original article here.